


Blair's Big Heart

by PattRose



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Secret Santa, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-01 05:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2761910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The bullpen gang is over at the loft for Christmas and they all take turns at telling a warm or fun story that has to do with them and Christmas. Everyone thinks theirs is the best until they hear Blair’s.</p><p> </p><p>Merry Christmas, Lisa, Duncan's Twin</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blair's Big Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LisaDuncansTwin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LisaDuncansTwin/gifts).



**Title** : Blair’s Big Heart  
 **Type** : Slash, established relationship  
 **Rating** : Teen  
 **Word Count** : 3221  
 **Summary** : The bullpen gang is over at the loft for Christmas and they all take turns at telling a warm or fun story that has to do with them and Christmas. Everyone thinks theirs is the best until they hear Blair’s.  
 **Warnings** : Sappy  
 **A/N** : Merry Christmas, Lisa, Duncan’s Twin

** Blair’s Big Heart **

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/blairsbigheart2_zps094b3d6e.jpg.html)

Everyone was arriving at Jim and Blair’s loft for a Christmas Eve celebration. They had been looking forward to it all week long. They each brought a dish with them, so they were having a nice dinner and dessert and opening presents around the tree.

The tree was decorated and blinking wonderful bright lights that Blair had picked out specially. Megan was the first one to notice the lights. “Where did you get those lights on the tree? They look like gorgeous blue dildos,” Megan said, before she started laughing up a storm.

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/0001166_m5_blue_led_christmas_lights_zpsa90bc98d.jpeg.html)

Everyone walked over to the tree and Simon said, “They do look like bright blue dildos.”

Jim and Blair laughed. Jim was blushing and Blair was bouncing with happiness that it was making everyone so happy. “I got them on sale somewhere and I couldn’t pass them up. They looked like little dildos to me, also. Jim didn’t want to put them on the tree at first, but I bought four strings of them. So, he finally gave in. And when Jim’s dad came over the other day, he didn’t say a word about them looking like dildos. So, see, we all just have very dirty minds.”

“Chief, he noticed them, he just didn’t say anything.”

Simon laughed loud and hard. “Leave it to Sandburg to buy Christmas ornaments or lights that resemble dildos. However, they really brighten the tree up nicely.”

“Thanks, Simon. We like them, too. We just had to get used to having them there and once Jim was used to that, they worked for us.” Blair was smiling more than he ever had. He was so happy with all of them coming for Christmas Eve dinner. 

Megan said, “Blair, I’ll help you get everything put on the table. The guys can set the table. Oh, never mind guys, Blair already has it set.”

“Hey, I set the table,” Jim whined and followed the whine with a snicker. 

Once they all sat down at the table for dinner, the talk commenced. “I think it would be very nice if you all tell a story about something that is meaningful in your life that happened on Christmas Eve or during the Christmas holiday,” Blair suggested.

Megan raised her hand and said, “Pick me, pick me.”

“Okay, Megan, tell us your story,” Blair instructed. 

“My dad took me, with my brothers and himself to pick out a turkey three days before Christmas. He wanted me to be in charge of picking the Christmas dinner. So we all left to go to the turkey farm and I couldn’t do it. I saw them and just couldn’t pick my own food. I imagine I could if I had to. I was so upset because my dad had given me this opportunity to choose and now we had no dinner. He hugged me close and said, “It’s okay to be tough like one of the boys, but it’s also okay to have a heart.” He hugged me close and told me to pick out some things from the garden that mum could cook and he would get the turkey. Two of my brothers decided to help me in the garden rather than choose a turkey and I still look back on that and realize they didn’t want to kill them either. So, we ended up having a delightful day with tons of vegetables and turkey. It was so hot out that we served them cold. It was delicious and I’ll never forget that day when my dad told me it was all right to have a heart and two of my brothers ended up having a heart, also. I’ll never forget my dad or my mum. But, my brothers were what made the day super special. They loved me so much and always thought they had to take care of me, but they learned that day that I was all right. I would choose when I felt like it. So, okay, who is next?”

Everyone clapped and smiled as they ate their dinner. Megan was very pleased with their reaction and felt like it had been a good thing to share with them. 

“I’ll go next,” Rafe said. “One year, my mom took us all to the grocery store to pick out things for the wonderful dinner we were having. She wanted us to take part in it. My little sister decided on S’mores and my mom didn’t miss a beat when she heard this. She got all of the ingredients and by God, we did have S’mores for dessert on Christmas day. She was always so sweet and we had made her so happy by eating them, she kept hugging us and saying how much she loved us. I really miss her.”

“She passed away?” Blair asked, somewhat deflated after the story. 

“Oh, no. I’m sorry, she lives in Ohio. I just miss her. I’m going to call her tomorrow and remind her of this story. It’ll be good for both of us,” Rafe admitted. 

Simon cleared his throat and said, “I have a lot of great Christmas stories. But this one is special because it was the first time it was just Daryl and me alone for Christmas. I went overboard on buying him gifts as usual and there was one gift under the tree that he made for me. I couldn’t wait to open it, but he made me wait until Christmas day. When we got up, he opened his presents and was so happy with everything and then he handed me the present that was for me. I looked at how it was wrapped and smiled from that alone. Only a six year old could wrap something to melt your heart. He was so proud of the wrapping and the gift, I found myself very excited. He told me his mom had helped him shop for it and I remember that my hands were trembling with excitement and I couldn’t wait to get it open. I opened it up and it was a frame with a picture of me holding baby Daryl in the hospital. It’s the one I have in my living room that you all have commented on. I started to cry and then Daryl cried because he thought I didn’t like it. I had to explain to him how much I loved it and how it would stay with me forever and ever. I’m sure he doesn’t remember that day, but I’ll never forget. He told me he liked his big strong daddy holding him in the hospital. I’m going to ask Daryl about it when I talk to him tomorrow over at Joan’s house. He’s spending Christmas with his mom. My story was a little boring, but it means the world to me.”

The clapping commenced again and this made Simon smile. He truly loved these people he was surrounded by and was glad they were all together. 

Jim held up his hand and said, “Pick me.”

“Okay, Jim, tell us your story,” Blair said. 

“As you all know I don’t have a lot of great dad stories from when I was growing up. He did the best he could, but I don’t have many memories of anything to do with holidays. But there was one Christmas, I’ll never forget. I had the measles and I was pretty sick. Come Christmas Eve, I couldn’t even get out of bed. I woke up about when it was starting to get light out and saw my dad sleeping in the chair next to my bed. In his hands was a G.I. Joe doll that was exactly what I had wanted. But, somehow it didn’t matter anymore. Instead, I had my dad sitting in a chair sleeping next to my bed because I was sick. Made my heart swell with love. I’ll never forget that night and sometimes I have to remind myself of this when I deal with him now. He was a good man, just didn’t know how to deal with two boys all alone. Okay, I’m done.”

“How old were you, Jim?” Simon asked. 

“I was eight, Simon.”

“I loved that story, Jim. Now every time we have William over I’ll think of that. That’s a very good memory to have.”

Each person clapped for Jim and he blushed. (First the dildo lights and now his story about his dad.)

“I’m next,” Joel said, “This is pretty fun. At first I thought it was going to be terrible, but now I think it’s a good thing to do. We need to remember the good times, more than the bad. Six years ago, my darling wife got cancer as you all know and she didn’t want to go through chemotherapy because she was so ill. I begged her to please try for me. So, two weeks before Christmas, she started and it was horrible. She was sick, had no hair and was as weak as a new born kitten. She asked me to go to the animal shelter and get a kitten for her. She thought that might help with the nausea and vomiting. I had no idea why, but I went and got a kitten the next day. It was five days before Christmas and I gave her the kitten and she loved it and for some reason, the kitten seemed to love her, too. She held on to that kitten and she said it was giving her strength, even though I could see she had none. She lived four days because of the kitten and because she loved me so much, she didn’t want to die during the holidays, but she knew I had the kitten to fall back on. Right before she died, she asked if I would name the kitten something special and love her like she had been loving it. Of course I told her I would and she asked me what I wanted to call the kitten. And I told Mary that the kitten’s name was going to be Precious. She liked that and fell asleep and never woke back up again. When I awoke, Precious was on my lap purring. And I realized, she knew that Mary was gone and she was comforting me. She’s been doing it ever since. On Christmas day, I was blue, but she refused to let me be. She got one of her toys and chased it until I was laughing. I spent the entire day with Precious and didn’t do too badly, either. I told Precious that the reason her mom had to leave so soon was because they needed a very special angel in Heaven and whenever I talked about Mary, Precious would purr and lick me. She still does that very same thing. Oh, Megan, I didn’t mean to make you cry. This is a good story. I had a wife who loved me so much that she went through hell just so that I had her longer. I was a very lucky man. We were married 30 years. A lot of people don’t have a long marriage at all, so I’m grateful for that. And I’m grateful for the present my wife talked me into getting. I love the silly cat.”

They all got up and did a group hug thing and Joel loved it. Being surrounded by great friends was always a good thing. 

Brown said, “I guess I’ll go next. I come from a very large family, as most of you know, and we always had to wear the older person’s clothes as hand-me-downs. I always hated that we didn’t get to get new clothes. Just our oldest brother did. The rest of us had to get used to wearing something really old and really worn out. My oldest brother had a job and he bought Christmas presents for each of us that year. We each got a new set of clothes and shoes. He had saved for months to be able to give them to us. My mother was so pleased that she had us all dress up and she took our picture that day. I and my six brothers all looked really sharp with the new clothes and new shoes. We all got ready for Sunday service and we were so proud of ourselves, looking so good. Our mama told us that clothes didn’t make the person. She was right. I played with friends that didn’t have new clothes and thought nothing of it. I didn’t think I was special. And I also didn’t think that I was sad or in want of anything. We all got home that day and made dinner for mama and Charles. We told them to sit down and we’d do all the work. So, two hours later, we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the table along with fruit and iced tea. We all ate and laughed and had such a good time, we didn’t realize that you had to have a very special dinner at all. Just the opposite, we thought what we were having was a special dinner and Charles and mama were so happy with it, it wasn’t even funny. We had a great Christmas and we knew we were truly blessed. Okay, I’m finally done.”

They all started clapping again. 

“Sandburg, hurry up and tell us your story. I know it’s going to be the best one so far, so get it over with,” Simon barked. 

They all laughed, including Blair. 

“I was getting ready to go to school for the last day before Christmas break and our neighbor, Mrs. Byrne, came over with a present for me. Inside I was groaning because she always seemed to give me things that were awful. But, as usual, I was thrilled with her attention. She always said she didn’t like kids, but I wasn’t really a kid, so she could like me. I really loved her. She used to babysit me a lot while my mom would work or go out in the evenings. I learned a great deal from her. But anyway, back to the story, I opened the present and sure enough it was an ugly Christmas sweater. And did I mention that I was 15 that year? So, anything would have been ugly to me. There were four reindeer on it and the two on each side looked like they were humping one another and I was in shock. Really, it was the only time I’ve never thought of something to say. But finally I told her thank you and set the sweater down. She smiled at me and asked me to try it on. She wanted to see how it looked on me. So, I tried it on and walked back into the living room and showed her and my mom. They both made a big deal out of it and I’m thinking, it’s ugly, what’s the big deal? The next thing I knew, the bus was out in front for school. I started to take the sweater off and Mrs. Byrne asked me to wear it to school. My mom gave me a look like, do it or die. So, I thanked her again and wore this fucking ugly sweater to school that day. Mrs. Byrne hugged me so hard when I was leaving, I could hardly breathe. She was so happy, so I figured it was worth it.

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/yw60zl-i_zps08d0748f.jpg.html)

That was until I got on the bus and everyone saw my sweater. They made fun of me the entire way to school, including the bus driver. By then everyone had seen it, so why take it off, right? When I came home that night my mom asked me if she could take a picture of me wearing the sweater for Mrs. Byrne. I agreed and she got the Polaroid camera out and took two pictures. One for herself and one for Mrs. Byrne. She then asked me to take it next door for Mrs. Byrne to see. So, I did as I was told. Mrs. Byrne was so thrilled. She kept hugging me over and over again. Somehow the sweater didn’t seem as ugly when I saw how happy it made her feel. Anyhow, the following day, we were going to ask her over for dinner when the neighbor told us she had passed away during the night. I was heartbroken. I couldn’t believe she was gone. She had been a part of my life for like three years and to have her leave so suddenly upset me something fierce. So, on Christmas day for dinner I wore my ugly sweater and hoped that she could see it from Heaven. Okay, I’m done.”

They all sat there staring at him and Simon was the first one to laugh. “Sandburg, we know there is no such sweater. We all told stories that meant something to us and you tell us that? I’m a little disappointed in you.”

Blair got up and went into the office and got a box out of the closet. He took out the picture album with the happy 15 year old wearing the sweater in question and they began to clap. 

“I say Blair wins this one, hands down. That was a great story, Chief.”

“Thanks, Jim. I liked everyone’s stories too. This will be like a new custom with us. We’ll get together and speak of nothing but heartwarming stories. I feel terrific. I hadn’t thought of Mrs. Byrne in years, so for that, I’m grateful.”

Megan stood up and started clearing the table and everyone pitched in to help. “Is it time for dessert yet?” Brown wondered. 

Simon laughed. “Henri, I swear you are always thinking about eating.”

“I am, Simon. I’ve been this way all my life,” Henri answered. 

Megan helped Blair get the dessert put onto plates and they served everyone their pie. 

Megan chewed happily and once she swallowed, she said, “I still think the blue dildo lights are the best thing about tonight. 

“And I think it was the stories,” Simon stated. 

“Okay, the stories were top notch because they all meant something to each of us. But, you have to admit that the dildo lights are wonderful,” Megan added. 

Jim smiled, looking around at everyone and realizing that this is what Christmas was all about. “I love those damn dildo lights.”

Blair snickered and said, “I knew you did. You didn’t fight hard enough for me to take them back. Now, I’m glad we kept them.”

They all talked and laughed until about one in the morning. Then they left for the evening and Jim and Blair were exhausted. Once things were tidied up, they fell into bed and into each other’s arms. 

“Merry Christmas, Jim.”

“Merry Christmas, Blair.”

And it was. 

The end


End file.
